Background - In February 2019, Professor Dame Carol Black was commissioned by the then Home Secretary to undertake a two-part independent review of drugs, which should include an up-to-date analysis of the problems created by drugs in England and a set of recommended policy solutions. In December 2021, the Government responded to recommendations in Dame Carol’s review by publishing a new drug strategy, From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives, together with significant new investment, including an additional £532m for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services from 2022/23 to 2024/25. In September 2022, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and Health Education England (HEE) published the first Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Workforce Transformation Programme briefing to provide an overview of the new national Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Workforce Transformation Programme for 2022/25. This second briefing is designed to update on programme progress and provide an overview of upcoming publications and projects.

NHS England - On 1 April 2023, HEE, NHS England and NHS Digital merged to create a ‘new’ NHS England. The Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Workforce Transformation Programme is now part of NHS England’s new national Workforce, Training and Education (WT&E) directorate.

The Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Workforce Transformation Programme for 2022-2025 is a joint endeavour, bringing the skills and experience of OHID and NHS England together with expert input from the treatment and recovery sector and people with lived experience.